Oil cooling system



Sept. 10, 1935.

INVENTOCQS VAZE/YTl/VO 4. BIA/V THEJPA TTORNEY V L BIANCHI ETAL OILCOOLING SYSTEM Flled Sept 5, 1956 LOU/.5 8Y6 Our invention relates to asystem for cooling Patented Sept. 10, 1935 OIL COOLING SYSTEM ValentinoL. Bianchi, Oakland, and Louis Mina, San Francisco, Calif.

Application September 5, 1933, Serial No. 688,086

2 Claims. (01. 257-125) ZMBJM from the engine through the cooling cell.The

the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine; one object beingto provide cooling means whereby the oil may be maintained at thetemperature of maximum lubricating efficiency.

Another object is to reduce oil consumption by minimizing the pumping ofoil past the pistons, and vaporization of the oil in the crank case.

Another object is to provide an oil cooling system associated with thewater cooling system of an internal combustion engine, and operatingconjcintly therewith for cooling the lubricating oil supply of theengine.

Another object is to provide a cooling system which may be easily andeconomically installed in either old or newstructures.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of our invention. It is to be understood that we do notlimit ourselves to this disclosure of species of our invention, as wemay adopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a broken side view, partly in vertical section, showing oneembodiment of our cooling system as applied to the engine and watercooling radiator of an automobile.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In the operation of internal combustion engines, the high temperaturesoccurring in the cylinders, and the relatively high speed at which thepistons operate, necessitate a constant circulation of oil to the movingparts to ensure proper lubrication. The oil so circulated rapidlybecomes heated to a relatively high temperature and as a result theviscosity of the oil and its lubricating efiiciency is greatly reduced.The greater fluidity of the oil when hot permits the oil to be morereadily pumped past the pistons, with the result that an excessiveamount of the lubricating oil passes into the cylinders and is burnedup. Our present invention is directed to a system of cooling thelubricating oil when the engine is in operation so as to maintainsubstantially the desired degree of viscosity, and thereby obtainmaximum lubricating efiiciency and minimum oil consumption.

Broadly, our invention comprises a cooling cell, preferably associatedwith the Water cooling system commonly provided for internal combustionengines, and means for circulating the heated oil invention alsocontemplates the provision of means for regulating the rate of oilcirculation, and also visual means for indicating the prevailingpressure and temperature of the oil.

In terms of greater detail, an oil cooling cell I is arranged inassociation with a water cooling radiator 2 such as is commonly providedfor an internal combustion engine 3. In the preferred embodiment shownin Figure 1 of the drawing,

the cell i is formed within the radiator 2 by means of partitions d and5 disposed over opposite ends of a limited number of the tubes 6providedfor the circulation of water through the radiator. Thepartitions 4 and 5 are shaped to form chambers l and 8 at the upper andlower ends respectively of the tubes 6. The partitions a and 5, and thechambers l and 8 formed thereby, serve to exclude water from the tubes 6selected for use as the oil cooling cell, and to prevent interminglingof the oil with the water circulating through the remaining tubes of theradiator.

As the water from the engine enters the radiator 2 in a highly heatedcondition, a second partition 9 is preferably mounted in spaced relationto the partition 1 to provide an air passage Iii therebetween. Thepartitions 9 and air pas= sage it serve as a shield to insulate thechamber i from the hot water entering the top of the radiator 2.Openings H and I2 allow a free circulation of air through the airpassage 90. A group of four rows of tubes 5 such as provided in theordinary automobile radiator affords an oil cooling cell of sufficientsize for most purposes without materially impairing the efficiency ofthe radiator for cooling the water circulating therethrough. The numberof tubes 6 included in the cell l may of course be varied to suitparticular requirements and a greater or lesser number may be utilizedif desired.

An oil inlet fitting i3 is mounted to extend into the upper chamber 7formed by the partition 4. The fitting is preferably provided with aplurality of discharge outlets Ml so as to distribute the incoming oilover a substantial area at the top of the cell.

A conduit it is connected to communicate at one end with the deliveryfitting i3 and at the opposite end with the oil circulating system ofthe engine 3. A second conduit is connected to provide a passage fromthe lower chamber 8 of the cooling cell to the oil circulating system oroil supply reservoir in the crank case of the engine. Oil is deliveredfrom the lubricating system to the cell I through the conduit l6 by anysuitable means as for example a pump I8. The oil pump commonly providedfor circulating oil through the lubricating system in a force feedsystem may be utilized for this purpose by connecting the conduit itinto the pressure side of the pump as indicated in Figure l of thedrawing. Where the capacity of the lubricating pump is insufficient todeliver oil to the cooling cell at the rate necessary to effect a propercooling of the oil without impairing the efficiency of the lubricatingsystem a separate pump of suitable capacity may be provided. The pumpmay be driven in any convenient manner from the fan belt 20 or otheraccessible source of power.

The conduit I6 is provided with a suitable valve 2| by which the rate ofcirculation of oil through the conduit l6 and the cooling cell i may beregulated. Where the conditions under which the engine operates arefairly uniform, the valve 2! may be initially adjusted to regulate thecirculation of oil through the cell l to meet the prevailingrequirements. Should a difierent condition occur, a slight adjustment ofthe valve will permit the rate of circulation to be increased ordecreased as the new conditions may require. Where the operatingconditions change substantially at frequent intervals, the conduit I6may be provided with a thermostatically controlled valve operatingautomatically to increase or decrease the rate of circulation of oil inaccordance with the prevailing temperature of the oil. Valves operatingin response to temperature changes are known and have been utilized inother connections, and as the specific .structure of such valve forms nopart of the present invention, a detailed disclosure of the structureand mode of operation thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Oil delivered through the conduit l6 and delivery fitting l3 flowsdownwardly through the tubes '0 of the cooling cell to the chamber 8 andis cooled by a current of air drawn past the tubes by the fan 23provided for cooling the radiator 2. From the chamber 8, the oil isdelivered back. to the engine through the conduit ll. A suitable screen24 is preferably provided over the inlet end of the conduit ll to removesolid particles of foreign matter from the oil before its return to theengine.

Suitable temperature indicating means 25 is preferably provided forindicating the temperature of the oil as it returns to the engine. Theparticular type of temperature indicating mechanism is immaterial, andany device capable of aifording a visual indication of the temperatureof the returning oil may be used. A temperature indicating meansoperating an index 26 located on the instrument panel 21 is particularlydesirable in automobile and aeroplane installations.

A pressure gage line 28 is connected into the conduit l6 and extends toa suitable gage 29 for indicating the pressure at which the oil ispumped to the cooling cell i. The gage 29 should be positionedconveniently near to the temperature index 26 so that the temperatureand pressure conditions may be observed as an aid to obtaining a properregulation of the rate of circulation of oil through the cell l.

While we have illustrated the cooling system of our invention inconnection with the internal combustion engine and radiator of anautomobile, the invention may be applied to internal combustion enginesdevoted to other uses such as in aeronautics or in stationary powerunits. The device is of course subject to modification in the details ofconstruction and arrangement to conform to the requirements of anyparticular installation.

We claim:

1. An oil cooling system for an internal combustion engine having awater cooling radiator comprising an oil cooling cell formed within theradiator, means for circulating oil from the engine through the cell,and a shield having an air passage over the cell for insulating the samefrom hot water entering the radiator.

2. An oil cooling system for an internal combustion engine having awater cooling radiator comprising an oil cooling cell formed Within theradiator, means for circulating oil from the engine through the cell, ashield having an air passage over the cell for insulating the same fromhot water entering the radiator, and means for controlling thecirculation of the oil.

VALENTINO L. BIANCHI. LOUIS MINLA.

